trust me, the polaris is a .29 with foam. they just dont have the nfrc stickers as of yet. also, polaris now offers a true stainless steel spacer similar to sunrise.
sunrise adds more foam to their window than polaris. both are very good windows and you cannot go wrong with either.

I got a second confirming email from Polaris CS that foam is an option for the MAIN only chamber. Is there a link that disputes that. Will ask dealer next Thursday. Maybe if the new stickers aren't out till 1 Jan they still have to say, no foam. I guess I would like the foam if for no other reason than rigidity on a 5X8.5ft slider. Just measured it. SR seems to have advantage there. Not sure if it is an issue, but it is a large window. Why the nod to Polaris WoW, if specs are slightly better with SR and they do have foam. Something with your installation experience?

Here is an example of my confusion and why so many seemingly redundant questions. My q's to Polaris CS get vague answers like on the foam. It took two specific, closed ended q's to find out, at least from CS, it is an upgrade. Assuming he is correct. The latest question was on Argon. And, I asked if Argon was standard on the UW. He replied "Correct, argon gas is included with low-e…". However, in brochure it says EnergySmart glass is standard, no argon. But, with Low-E upgrade, it is included. Saying "Correct" leads to believe it is in all their UW windows. This may also be an old brochure. Although copyright is 2010. I know I need to go over this with dealer. Just want to be informed as much as possible before we talk purchase.

BTW: You guys have been great at educating me. Windows are normally a one time purchase for folks who don't move a lot and hard to understand all the details/options accurately.

polaris just added a true stainless steel spacer and some other options. although offered, some of the stuff(foam in frame) was not tested with the NFRC yet. therefore, if you get a window with a foam filled option, the extra point in Ufactor will not be reflected . that is why the dealer is telling you it makes no difference; although it brings the ufactor from a .30 to a .29.
the Polaris Ultra also has an air infiltration/leakage of .01. which is a tad better than the sunrise at .04. will you notice a real world difference from the two? probably not.
i would put either window in my home.

No..Polaris uses a thick outer wall on their extrusions for the Ultra. That's not going to warp. It's also a high grade vinyl.
That said, ask for reinforcement in the meeting rails as an added option. They offer it.
By the way, Polaris is one of the only window companies that actually reinforce the hinge and handle area's of their casement windows.

I think generally people like the Sunrise a little better than the Polaris, but the are in the same category imo. Price should be about the same for either. I'd really pick the dealer that you feel more comfortable with, and that you feel will do a higher quality install.

The sunrise has a total UFactor of .28 whereas the Polaris Ultra is a .29 .
The sunrise has an air leakage rate of .04 while the Polaris Ultra is a tad better at .01 . I like both equally and performance wise we are splitting hairs.

I'll do this cause may just get a contractor to replace bad trim/siding panels and paint. Can't justify 14k in siding at my age, and don't want cheap stuff. Really don't want to step down to a lower window either.